Surface Mining Gazetteer - Morwellham Down - Lodes 26-30
Lode 26 - Luscombe North Lode No. 1
NGR:
Identified as such by Dines, lodeback pits and surface disturbances only appear for a short distance on the northern edge of Luscombedown Plantation. Charles Barclay claims to have found ancient tin smelting slag in the narrow area of the plantation between Lodes 25 & 26 (Barclay in Stewart 2004), although this could not be located when the site was visited by the author in 2008.
Lode 27 - Luscombe North Lode No. 2
NGR:
Identified by Dines, a broad line of lodeback pits appears in the north-east corner of Hatch Wood and is cut by the DGC Railway of 1857-58, descending towards the Bedford United Leat. No surface indications have been observed in the fields to the east, although the lode may form a stringer to the eastern end of Ding-Dong Lode (Lode 28), a short distance to the north-east at approximately .
A short gunnis on the line of this lode just west of the DGC Railway is noteworthy, as RW Toll and CF Barclay cleared part of it out in 1933, finding it to be at least 60ft long with an average width of 2ft 6in, being worked down to a depth of 45ft from surface. They also cleared a lodeback pit immediately west of the gunnis but did not record its depth, although the lode was 2ft wide at the bottom.
Lode 28 - Ding Dong Lode
NGR:
Several large surface disturbances and lodeback workings climb the valley side from the later deep adit, which discharges into the Tamar 120m south of New Bridge. An openwork on the line of the lode is now represented by a hollow in the garden of Hatchwood House () but was marked as a tinwork on the 1768 Bedford Estate Map.
A leat was brought here from Impham Valley, probably in the 18th century or even earlier. Irregular disturbances on the 1946 RAF APs can be seen as far as the B3257 and a little further east, while the stream flowing down to Crebor hamlet (centred on ) lies on the same alignment and may indicate the course of the lode.
Lode 29 - New Bridge Lode
NGR:
A line of largely infilled lodeback pits following the southern edge of the medieval road from Tavistock to Gunnislake, suggests that the road was deliberately laid out to follow them, as is the case elsewhere (eg: Hoopers Lane, Gunnislake and the medieval silver mines at Bere Ferrers). In common with the latter, it seems likely that the workings have been infilled with 20th century domestic rubbish. At its eastern end, just south of Gulworthy Farm, the surface disturbances on the line of the lode on the 1946 RAF APs are broken obliquely by a possible stringer (Lode 29a).
Lode 29a
NGR:
An oblique stringer at the eastern end of Lode 29 may be associated with occasional disturbances on the 1946 RAF APs as far east as the Lumburn Valley. These include two large depressions in a field east of the Harvest Home public house, which are aligned with a possible openwork, identified as a quarry on the 1880s OS map.
Lode 29b
NGR:
A short linear disturbance 90m south of Lode 29a may be a parallel stringer of it. No further surface indications are known, but a short adit on a lode cut by the Mill Hill branch of the Tavistock Canal appears to be on the same alignment. It never seems to have produced any worthwhile ore.
Lode 30 - Delves Kitchen Lode
NGR:
This lode, marked on Symons' 1848 Map of the Tavistock Mining District is represented by a strong linear disturbance on the 1946 RAF APs just north of the medieval road to New Bridge. The eastern end of the known early workings finishes at two slight disturbances in the fields just west of Gulworthy Cottages. A 19th century shaft at may continue the line eastwards as far as Gulworthy Farm. The name may imply a deep, cavernous gunnis, similar to other examples from Devon and Cornwall known as 'Devils' Kitchens'.